Cycle Map Run

Month: February 2018

Running in the nude, getting cheered on by a group of “hoody-wearing teenagers” and practising ‘toilet tactics’ on a beach in France are just a few of the highlights from the hilarious book, “Your Pace Or Mine?” by Lisa Jackson. I finished reading this book during the week and thought, without giving too much away, I will write a quick review.

Firstly, yes you should read this book. Whether you are completely new to running, you want to increase your race distance or you have years of experience on the trails, you will laugh at the anecdotes of races from across the globe and say “I totally get that!”

The book is split up into chapters which start with “What running taught me about…” and Lisa covers topics such as fear, laughing, lifesaving and death. Each chapter ends with stories from Lisa’s friends, relatives and people she has met at races, some of which made me smile, others made me a bit teary but all of them are pretty inspirational. There are also some tips and tricks and a log book at the back so that you can fill in your favourite races and funniest stories.

One of my major goals in life is to run the Boston marathon and of course Lisa not only achieved this but also had the opportunity to interview Kathrine Switzer (first female to run Boston in 1967) – what a lucky gal! Lisa’s experience of Boston has not put me off so hopefully some day I will achieve the qualifying time and attempt those hills!

I loved reading about the Comrades ultra marathon in South Africa, a 91K or 56.5 mile race, better known as ‘the world’s toughest ultramarathon’. I am not sure if I will ever make it out to SA for this event but it has definitely made me think about running an ultra where time doesn’t really matter and everyone is supporting you, no matter how experienced you are.

I’ll leave you with one last quote; a line that really stuck out to me and one I actually heard in another audio book this week. An old Zambian proverb, which you can relate to running or really any aspect of life…

“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”

If you have read this book or have other recommendations for me then let me know on Twitter (@raachel712)